Readers, if you’re feeling a bit worse for wear after the season’s festivities: tired, bloated or sluggish, how about a detox? But wait! Before you run for the hills, I’m not talking about gimmicky stints of deprivation where you exist solely on lemon water or cabbage soup or the like. This is not a smart or effective detox.

Detox basically means supporting your body to put the rubbish out. Think about your own home. Rubbish is created every day just from normal living, sorted into categories like recyclable, compostable etc. and then is disposed of. It’s a similar deal in the body. Every day, just through its normal activities, the body creates rubbish, also called toxins. We’re also exposed to thou­sands of synthetic chemicals in our environment that we breathe in/absorb through our skin and ingest on food that adds to this rubbish load.

The body’s head detox department is the liver. It processes toxins so they can then be removed through urine, sweat and bowel movements. This is a big job. To do it well, the liver needs a steady supply of lots of vitamins, minerals and protein from quality food. It needs less extra work, like having to process additional toxins. Alcohol is a big one here. It really adds to the liver’s load, so going alcohol-free for a while is a quick win.

Commit to a timeframe. Are you comfortable doing a week’s detox? Two weeks? Longer? Eat loads of fresh veggies daily, especially dark green leafy ones like spinach, bok choy and parsley. Get some early nights and rest if you’re tired. Go easy on dehydrating drinks like coffee and drink enough water/herbal tea.

You need a digestive system that works well as bowel move­ments are vital for rubbish removal. If you’re blocked up, sluggish, or regularly bloated, seek help from an experienced practitioner.

These tips are great for a DIY detox. Working with a natural health practitioner is also an option if you want to take a next-level or more comprehensive approach to getting back on track.

Laura Cini is an expert nutritionist, herbalist and naturopath with over 20 years’ experience. Visit lauraciniwellness.com or connect @lauraciniwellness.

Easy Green Detox Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup green beans, tailed and cut into 5cm lengths

5 free-range eggs

300 g baby spinach leaves, rinsed

1 avocado, sliced

1 cucumber, finely sliced

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Dressing

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp finely shredded mint leaves

Good pinch sea salt

Method

1. For the dressing, combine ingredients in a jar, shake until well combined.

2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, blanch beans for 1 minute and transfer to bowl of iced water to refresh. Drain beans, set aside. Return saucepan to boil, add eggs.

3. Boil eggs for 7 minutes, cool, peel and cut in half.

4. In a bowl, toss the baby spinach with the beans, avocado and cucumber, place eggs on top.

5. Pour the dressing over the top to serve.